I've thought about writing this for a while now. I've hesitated because I think you all know that I'm Mormon and you pretty much have a feel for my values and beliefs. Or do you?
I've been wondering.
The recent outpouring of media attention on our church has left me feeling lots of things. Sometimes cringing. Sometimes feeling so much pride. Sometimes laughing because of how ridiculously wrong they have things. Sometimes laughing at how goofy they make us out to look.
You see, I think there are so many misconceptions about our church because the focus always seems to be on polygamy, how we don't drink Coke, our
mysterious temples and our strong views on homosexuality. And that's it. That's where the media seems to leave it. NBCs Rock Center did a pretty good job of delving further into the church's Welfare Square and interviewing a family. But even then, they left a lot out. They could have done a better job of explaining our beliefs for sure. So people are so often left with questions instead of answers about our church. And so often instead of actually asking members of our church, people tend to do what most of us would do and just sort of believe what they hear on the news. It's sort of frustrating for us Mormons who wish that the record could be set straight with some better media coverage. I guess when you are part of something, you always want good press, right?
I would love it if the media would cover all of the GREAT things our church does. The millions and millions and millions of dollars in aid we provide around the world to countries and people in need. Whenever there is a disaster, we are one of the first on the scene to provide food, clothing and needed supplies. We have programs set up world wide to help people get back on their feet who are in poverty, unemployed or underemployed. We teach self reliance and how to prepare for those emergency situations when you may need a little extra. Our local wards are organized so that when there is a need among us, we are on it just like that. A baby is born to a family with no family in town, or even with family in town. Meals and gifts are taken in, lickity split. A death in the family? We take care of the funeral dinner. Someone moving in to our neighborhood? In one Saturday morning we will have them moved in and feeling welcomed and part of the community in a matter of hours. Our church does a lot of good. As a member, I wish that these things could be the focus more instead of the negative spin that seems to prevail so much of the time.
Anyway, I just kind of wanted to do my part to set the record straight with my readers. All ten of you. ;) Not so much on particulars. Not so much on deep doctrine. But on what I think is important that you know. The things that I was raised to believe were important.
First, I'll give you a little bit of my background in my church. From the time I was born, I was raised in an LDS a.k.a. Mormon home. So, I've known this my entire life. Other than one relatively short period of inactivity, I have always been what most would consider a pretty active member. I go to church every week. I hold callings. Serve where I can. Try to live a good life.
Try being the key word here.
The thing is, I don't think that everyone in my life would have always known this about me. I became pretty gun shy about talking about my religion at a young age. I had a few uncomfortable encounters with people who were very much against our church and I began to realize it was easier for my non-confrontational personality to avoid the topic. And so I'm ashamed to admit that whenever the subject of religion came up, whether it was at school, work or wherever, until I was well into my twenties (okay, maybe even thirties), I would conveniently change the discussion to something else. If I was with close friends, I would discuss my beliefs but only then. If I was with people I didn't know and trust very well, NO WAY.
So here I am. 39 years old and wondering if many people in my life have really had a sense of who I am! All of my friends know that I am Mormon, but there may be acquaintances or co-workers who don't know just because I have chosen not to discuss my religion over the years. If you are one of those acquaintances, I apologize for not having a backbone and being the whole of who I really am.
Here is my story.
My parents joined the church when they were young parents of two children, Greg and Abby. They had felt a need for religion in their lives and were seeking it out when the LDS missionaries knocked on their door. They felt a very good spirit in their home when the missionaries visited them and they loved the feeling they had when they went to church. They loved the family centered values of the church and the teachings of the Savior and the Atonement. My mom loved everything about the church. She loved serving and the friendships she made there. The scriptures, the lessons, just everything about it. The lady had a burning testimony inside her that was contagious. She taught us those principles that she knew were important. And guess what? They did not include whether or not you did or did not drink Coke. Those things just don't matter that much. It's the big things that matter. Love. Service. Charity. Family. That is what she taught us to focus on.
I think there are several points of doctrine in our church that are probably quite similar to other Christian churches. Of course some that are different. Probably the main differences are the Book of Mormon and our belief in modern day prophets.
We believe in God, His Son, Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost. I know some other Christian faiths may differ somewhat in whether they believe in a Trinity or not. We believe that Jesus lived and He died for our sins and that He was resurrected. We believe that after He was resurrected he taught people again on the earth. We believe in miracles like that He walked on water and healed the blind and lepers, and also that Moses parted the Red Sea and all those miracles and stories that happened in the Bible.
As I mentioned, we believe in a book of scripture called the Book of Mormon which is one of the primary points that sets us apart from other religions. Of course, this is a real sticky point for some who think that we replace the Bible with it. We don't. We absolutely read both of them and believe in both as true doctrine. We believe that the Book of Mormon is a record of people that lived in the Americas and that Christ came and taught them as well.
We do believe in modern day prophets and revelation. This is also a sticky point for some I know. I find this to just make so much sense. But, I can see how it might seem a little "out there" to some of you too. :) There have been prophets from the beginning of time. So, why not now? Something to think about. Not that you have to agree with us, but it's not that far fetched of an idea if you think about it.
That is as much doctrine as I am going to get into. If you would like to learn more, visit either lds.org or mormon.org. You can paruse those websites all day long without any obligation to sign up for missionary visits or anything. There is a ton of info on there and they have it very well organized. There is information on temples, our views on families, videos, and lots of helpful information. By the way, you may not find a quick answer to the Coke question. The answer is, yes, we can drink Coke. If you want to know specifically what we can and can't eat or drink look up Word of Wisdom on lds.org.
AND if you Boise locals would like to learn more about temples, I would like to personally invite you to the upcoming Boise Temple Open House. Any time from October 13 - November 10, 2012. They are open 9-5 on Mondays and 9-9 Tuesday through Saturday. Closed on Sunday. I will take you through if you want. It's an incredible chance to come see what temples are all about if you've been curious. And I will be working there as an usher on the evenings of October 31 and November 7.
Okay. A little deep breath. I mentioned the basic things that we were taught to be the most important as I was growing up. I'll get into them a little more here.
We believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and that he Atoned for all mankind. He is absolutely the center of everything in our religion and everything that we do.
We are taught that family is our most important priority on this earth. Family comes first and that's it. My family has had it's ups and downs through the years just like any other family. We still do. We've all had moments that we wish we could take back, but when it comes down to it we are there for each other. Our church emphasizes the importance of families and I appreciate this as I grow older and am raising my own family. We have been counseled to pray with our families, read scriptures together, have family home evening together (family night), and have family meals together. Where can you go wrong in doing these things together? Especially in a world where families are torn apart left and right each day.
Just like many of you, we were taught from a young age to serve. We serve in church callings. So we might teach sunday school or play the piano or set up the chairs or any number of jobs. We help clean our churches. We don't have paid clergy so everyone has to pitch in. Outside of callings, we are expected to serve on a regular basis. We might go help when someone is sick and needs their house cleaned. We help do yard work. We chop wood. We rake leaves. We take meals in. Serving is a fundamental part of our religion. I used to sort of grumble about it (okay, once in a while I still do), but now I am growing to realize that this is where happiness comes from. We truly feel that when we are serving others we are serving the Lord. He has given us everything, so the least we can do is give a helping hand to others, right? That's pretty much our motto.
And another deep breath.
I think one stereotype about Mormons is that we are judgmental. Because we don't drink, smoke, swear (well, at least we're not supposed to), etc, we must think that anyone who does is the devil, right? Wrong! Just because Mormons don't drink the same drink you do, doesn't mean they are thinking anything about it. Are you thinking anything differently of them? Our favorite quote in our house is "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you." I think it's the perfect quote to be used within and across all religions.
Which leads me to my last personal story. I guess I want to share this because I think it is a good lesson to all of us on living your religion regardless of what religion you are. When my brother Andy was dying from the AIDS virus over 25 years ago, there were lots of families who shunned their sons because of the reason they contracted this disease. At that time, there were lots of fears and misconceptions about the AIDS virus and lots of terrible jokes and stories that went around about it. And there we were right in the middle of it. Andy had it and our family was dealing with it the best we could. I say we. I was about 14 at the time and had no idea what was going on. Andy didn't even want me to know because he didn't want me to have to deal with it. But the rest of the family did and it was horrendous. Andy suffered through the worst of the worst of sickness and illnesses. I remember my mom telling me about being with Andy in the hospital in the AIDS wing. So many of the other AIDS patients had no other family there with them because their families had disowned them. My mom basically adopted some of them as her own. Through the years after that, she kept in contact with them and ended up receiving notices of their deaths. Pretty sad, right? She was heartbroken. Not only to hear of their deaths, but to know that their families had missed out on those last moments with their sons. I'm telling you this because it was a huge lesson to me. In that act that my mom did by adopting those AIDS sons, my mom taught me the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She taught me Love and Service and Charity and Family. That is what she lived her life for right there. That was her life and that is the kind of life she wanted us to live. She wanted us to be the kind of people that would have visited those boys too.
I don't think any Christian faith that truly teaches from the Bible would teach anyone to leave behind a loved one who is suffering from any disease no matter how they got it, lifestyle choice or not. I know that ours definitely does not teach that. We are taught to love each other and help each other no matter what. My mother was a strong advocate for AIDS research and AIDS patients in general. But did she think homosexuality was right? No, she did not. Did this cause her to stop loving her son or exclude him from her life. Never.
I share this with you because sometimes it seems there are more issues that divide us than those that unite us in this world. I know many of these issues can be tricky. We all have convictions that we feel strongly about. I don't think any of us should ever back down from what we believe to be right. But that doesn't mean we have to turn our back on people or worse yet take negative action toward them.
In light of recent world events, I've thought a lot about how these issues that divide us can turn to hatred and violence so quickly. In the recent events in the middle east that led to so much discussion and outrage over the video mocking the Muslim prophet Mohammed, I too was upset about it. My heart aches for any religion or group of people who suffer persecution and being mocked. I just wish that the same outrage could be shared over the mocking of my religion in venues such as "The Book of Mormon" play on Broadway. That happens every day, right here in the good old USA. And no one says a thing. But then, we have something called freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Both of which I am very thankful for each and every day.
...So that's it. My beliefs in a nutshell. I guess a very big nutshell! I hope that you have gotten a sense of the core of my beliefs and that it's not just about Coke and Polygamy and hating homosexuals. We are actually not those things at all.
I know many of you are religious yourselves and some of you are not and I want you to know that I have the utmost respect for your beliefs. I have attended some of your churches and masses and have had great experiences. I hope that we can always have open discussions on religion when we feel so inclined and if you ever want to know anything about us Mormons, you just give me a call!
